


A Dragon Child's Instinct

by EmpressAelin



Series: A Dragon's Instinct [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: A look at how Zuko's dragon instincts changed his relationship with Azula, Azula's Childhood, Dragon AU, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Muffinlance inspired, No one know's Zuko is a dragon, Protective Azula (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Scaled Over AU, Young Zuko and Azula, Zuko doesn't know he's a dragon, Zuko's Childhood (Avatar), Zuko's Swords, dragon instincts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:14:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24119338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressAelin/pseuds/EmpressAelin
Summary: Zuko was always a strange child. Born in midwinter under the dark sky, he lacked every sign of a powerful firebender. From a young age he had odd behaviors that his mother found endearing but his father thought made him weak.And these behaviors confused his sister.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: A Dragon's Instinct [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740310
Comments: 98
Kudos: 2296





	A Dragon Child's Instinct

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This fic is a prologue to a series with Dragon!Zuko that is inspired by @muffinlance and all the Dragon crazy she is spreading around. This fic is mainly from Azula's POV and how she saw Zuko's strange behavior as a child and how that changed their relationship.

Zuko was always a strange child. Born in midwinter under the dark sky, he lacked every sign of a powerful firebender. From a young age he had odd behaviors that his mother found endearing but his father thought made him weak.

Zuko was kind. He treated things and people well and would always have a compliment to say. If that compliment was usually about the shiny jewelry someone was wearing it went unnoticed.

Zuko was also possessive. What was his was his and he would fight anyone, even his beloved mother if they tried to take away what was his. He shared but he always made sure to get his things back. This possessive nature came to a head when he was seven and his sister was five. Zuko had yet to bend fire while Azula already had. There was a growing rift between the children but they still were close, neither having any other friends.

Something that the two children liked to do was play around the palace in areas they probably shouldn’t be in. There was a certain thrill about doing something they weren’t supposed to. Zuko was better at sneaking around but Azula was better at getting out of trouble if they got caught.

Zuko had had a sword lesson with Master Piando in the morning while Azula had been at firebending practice. Both children were tired and rather rumpled and a bit disorganized. Still in their training clothes having run away from their maids to play instead of being changed.

They were playing a game of hide and explode but only Azula was able to make any explosions so Zuko just tried to scare her when he found her. Zuko was looking for Azula when he heard a thud coming from down the hallway and raced to see what it was. He skidded around a corner and started to hear voices as he got closer.

“Ugh. What servant lost track of their little vermin? And in the palace hallways? Disgraceful.” The voice was snobby and Zuko immediately bristled. He hated when people talked like that. It wasn’t nice. He turned another corner and saw Azula on the ground with an adult standing in front of her.

“Lala!” He called out and ran to her. She looked a bit stunned and angry. Zuko spun around to stand between the grown up and his sister. “What did you do to her!”

The grown up sniffed and looked down at Zuko. “She was in my way. Little vermin wasn’t moving so I knocked her out of the way. You servant children should know your place and stay out of site if you parents are too poor to afford someone to watch you. It’s honestly disgraceful that they let you run around and make this place dirty. Just look at it!”

Zuko saw red. This, this, this pompous buffoon was insulting his sister and his palace! Zuko’s hands clenched into tight fists as he glared up at the grown up. He growled and the grown up flinched.

“You do not get to say that about my sister or my palace!”

The grown up scoffed, “Your palace? Who do you think you are you little runt? Get out of my before I make you move like I did your sniveling sister.”

Zuko roared in anger and charged. He swung at the grownup and pulled at their clothes before pushing them away. The grownup fell down and Zuko smelled something burning. He looked and the grownups clothes were on fire. Zuko didn’t care though.

“I am Prince Zuko, son of Prince Ozai and Ursa, brother of Azula. You have insulted my family. Leave before I make you pay!” He snapped his teeth at the now whimpering and on fire grownup and turned back to Azula, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “Let’s go. I’m done playing.”

Zuko stormed off with Azula trailing behind him. It took a few hallways before he calmed down. He stopped, let go of Azula’s hand and leaned against a wall before sliding down.

\------

Azula stared at her big brother. He was still breathing hard but she could tell he had calmed down and wasn’t angry anymore. She had never seen him act like this before. He had growled at a grownup and that was weird and kinda scary but cool too. Her mind ran over what had just happened. Zuko had defended her. He had stood up to the grownup for her. Zuko didn’t do that. He was too nice. Then her mind caught on to a certain fact.

“Zuko! You set the grownup on fire!”

His head snapped up and looked at her with wide eyes. “I did?”

She nodded and on rocked on her feet slightly. “You did! Your hands were smoking and then after you grabbed his clothes they started on fire! You’re a firebender!”

Zuko’s face split into a wide grin and he jumped to his feet. “I’m a firebender!”

They laughed and jumped around until Azula decided to show Zuko how to do a move so they could show father and mother. It took a while but when Zuko got it he beamed a bright smile her way and Azula felt something flutter in her chest.

“Thanks, Lala! Let’s go show Father and Mother!”

Maybe Zuko was too nice, but maybe that was just how her brother was. He had stood up for her, he had bent his first flame in defense of her. Maybe he wasn’t so bad of a brother after all.

\------

Zuko was nine and Azula was seven when Zuko first met Ty Lee and Mai. This was the first time that the two girls had come to the palace and Zuko was meeting them for the first time.

They were playing in a garden and being children. In the past two years Azula had grown a little more vicious and her nature had started to clash with Zuko’s more and more. But she was often reminded of that moment with her brother. It was in the little things that also reminded her that Zuko was weird.

Zuko wasn’t a good firebender, not like her. He could get the forms and katas but it took him two sometimes three times as long for him to have the set mastered. He could maybe be better but he had kept up practicing with his swords. And Azula had to admit he was good with them, but what self respecting firebender used a weapon? A firebender was a weapon, one that needed to be honed constantly and with religious practice. It was like Zuko was saying that being a firebender wasn't the best because he used swords.

And that confused her and made her mad sometimes. If Zuko would just focus on his firebending he could be better. She had told him this but he had shrugged and just said that he liked the swords. She had gotten mad and started an impromptu spar. She had won but it had been closer than she would have liked to admit. Because Zuko had used his swords for part of the fight until she knocked one out of his hands.

Now, now Zuko was meeting Ty Lee and Mai for the first time. Ty Lee had done her tried and true introduction and intimidation technique of challenging someone to a flexibility contest. Everyone lost to the chi-blocker. That was part of why Azula had chosen her for her friend. She had promising skill.

But Zuko wasn't losing. He wasn't winning but he wasn't losing either. He was matching her challenge for challenge. Some he had no idea how to do but after seeing Ty Lee do them he was able to copy to varying degrees of success. He couldn't get most of the flips but any show of pure flexibility he could match Ty Lee. It was like her brother didn't have bones or the ligaments Ty Lee had told her about. The restraints that Ty Lee had trained her whole life to overcome and power through, her brother was ignoring as if he didn't have them in the first place.

Ty Lee was growing frustrated but wasn't letting it show as she posed more and more challenges. Balancing on weird surfaces, hanging from certain limbs, strange contortions that made Azula cringe. Zuko did them all with only small signs of discomfort. Eventually Zuko called an end to the practice, but not because he was tired or couldn't do it, it was time for his sword lesson with Master Piando.

Zuko left and Ty Lee fumed behind her smile.

"How did he manage to do that?" It was a happy chirp was Azula could sense the hidden feelings. Or at least she assumed they were there. No one could be showed up like that and not be resentful. She had to give Ty Lee credit, it really seemed like the girl wasn’t upset that she hadn‘t beaten Zuko.

"I don't know. He has sword training but that shouldn't make him that flexible. I've never seen him do anything like that before."

They never got an answer for how Zuko was able to keep up. The incident faded from memory, only to be brought up the few times Zuko would play with them after that.

\-------

Zuko was ten and Azula was eight when he showed up in her room one night without explanation.

"Dumdum what are you doing here?"

"Sorry Lala." He walked over to sit on the edge of her bed. He was still in his night clothes, but he had his swords with him.

"That wasn't an answer and why do you have your swords?"

He shrugged. "Something feels wrong."

She raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

He shrugged again. "I can't sleep. Something feels wrong. Is it okay if I stay in here tonight?"

Azula sighed. "Fine Dumdum but you need to be gone before sunrise."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Zuko placed his swords on the floor beside her bed before he slid under the covers. Once he was in Azula snuffed the candles.

"Night, Lala."

"Night, Dumdum."

\-----

That night an assassin crept into the royal chambers and tried to attack Azula. Likely he would have stabbed her in her sleep and then moved on to the other members of the family. Instead the knife aimed at her throat was intercepted by a sword and a growling ten-year-old.

The last thing the assassin thought was that the glow that came from those eyes wasn't natural.

Zuko's sword went through his chest.

The commotion had summoned guards after Azula had screamed in an appropriate manner for when one is eight and just saw her brother kill an assassin but is also a trained Fire Nation princess.

Zuko had shoved Azula into a corner of the room and was guarding her. It took the guards ten minutes to calm Zuko down from his growling defense of her.

It took their mother appearing before Zuko snapped out of whatever trance he had been in. He looked at the body and promptly threw up.

Zuko was a mess for weeks after that. But he always seemed better whenever she was near him and he could see she was okay.

When Uncle Iroh sent gifts from Ba Sing Se, Zuko had looked at his knife and walked over to Azula, he placed the knife in her hand and said, "Now I know you'll be safe." And walked away.

If Azula kept the knife on her person and asked Mai to teach her how to use it that was her business and her business alone.

\-------

When Zuko came into her room when she was nine and he was eleven she was immediately on guard.

"What's wrong?"

Zuko shuddered. "Something broke, in here." He tapped his chest. He didn't say anything after that. Just crawled into her bed and passed out. He kept shivering.

Azula didn't sleep that night.

In the morning, when the news that Lu Ten had died reached the palace, Zuko acted like he had already known. He cried in Mother’s arms but his face when they were told wasn't shock. It was resigned acceptance.

Zuko had known that Lu Ten was dead. He had known that an assassin was coming. Azula didn't know how it was possible but she swore to never doubt her brother's intuition again.

Many things happened after that. Azula had wanted to eavesdrop on father and grandfather but Zuko still wasn't acting right. She wouldn't leave her annoying brother alone when he was like this.

A week after Lu Ten died, Zuko sat up, looked at her, and whispered. "I have to go."

It was evening, almost time for them to go to bed. Zuko had be curled up on a couch in her room for the past week unless he had to be somewhere else.

"Where are you going?"

"My room."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zuko shuddered. "Have to."

Azula wanted to press further and question it more but she didn't understand Zuko's ability to predict things. If Zuko felt he needed to be in his room then he needed to be in his room.

In the morning Grandfather was dead and Mother was gone. Zuko didn't leave her side for three weeks after that.

\------

Father was crowned Fire Lord and things changed.

Uncle Iroh came home and Zuko was practically given to the old loser. She spent more time with Father. Zuko got proverbs and tea, she got intense training and a growing need to please her Father.

Part of her was pleased with this, it was obvious she was better than Zuko. She was a better bender, she was more ruthless, Father had basically said that he wanted her to be the heir.

Part of her whispered that Zuko would be a good heir too. He was kind and the people loved him. His tactics weren't good for winning a war but they won a battle if he waited and thought. He was fiercely loyal to the Nation and he defended her even if she didn't need it. Anymore.

Zuko was a master swordsman. She had seen him come within a hair of disarming Master Piando, a master with many years of experience on Zuko and was his teacher.

Father dismissed the notion and said the crown princes could not use swords and ordered Zuko's lessons to stop and for Zuko to get rid of his swords.

The swords were now hidden under her bed on Zuko's side.

There were more nights where Zuko crept into her room. Sometimes nothing happened. On days after nothing entered her room there would often be hallways they weren't allowed to enter or Zuko wouldn't be allowed in his room. Zuko didn't like being kept out of his room. He was still incredibly possessive of his things. Enough so that he had almost protested when father had told him to get rid of his swords. Almost. She had elbowed him into silence and took the swords and placed them in her room for him.

Sometimes they would wake to the sounds of the fight outside her door. Zuko would stand, swords at the ready, always in front of her no matter how she protested and hissed that she didn't need to be protected.

Days after the assassins got too close, Zuko would be dismissed to Uncle and Azula would get a more intense training session with Father. The same did not happen in reverse.

If anything, Father seemed annoyed the days after it was Zuko's room that was targeted.

There were more publicity stunts now. Azula hated them. Seeing the weak civilians, they weren't worth her time when she could be practicing. She much preferred inspecting troops with Father if she had to interact with people outside the palace.

Zuko thrived in the public’s attention. He was shy and awkward, but he loved being among the people. And the people loved him. Ty Lee and Mai often reported how the Capital would buzz with talk about Zuko for days after he made a public appearance. Azula had to listen to Zuko go on and on about the things he wanted to do for _his_ people once he was Fire Lord.

Zuko never did troop inspections with Father.

Time passed and the nights where Zuko spent time in her room became sporadic. It took overhearing gossiping servants for her too learn that Zuko could sometimes be found in the hallways late at night.

He had fought off two more assassins.

By the time Azula got to experience her first kill at age eleven, Zuko had killed one assassin, mortally wounded another, and fought off two others before the guards intervened. Zuko was thirteen and was being readily and constantly dismissed by Father. Zuko wasn't ruthless unless it was a real fight with real consequences. Anytime Father observed his training, Zuko fumbled and was a disappointment.

That night, Zuko had wounded the assassin with a slash of his swords and Azula had set the assassin on fire with a perfectly executed flaming kick. But even on fire the assassin didn't stop. The assassin lunged for her and Azula grabbed the knife that never left her person, even when she bathed, and sliced. The assassin reeled back but Azula drove her knife through his throat.

The guards burst in at that point to find her holding a bloody knife and standing over a burning corpse with her brother standing defensively against the guards who had just burst in.

Chaos ensued and somehow Azula ended up in the training courtyard with hours till dawn but Zuko was at her side coaxing her through basic kata.

She didn't feel sick. She didn't feel the need to throw up like Zuko had those years ago. She didn't feel remorse or guilt. The assassin had threatened her life. Had threatened her brother and family. He would have died anyway. She was just the one to do it.

She didn't feel anything. But she didn't feel nothing either.

She felt for Zuko as he stayed with her for hours until dawn, making her work through the basic baby kata. She could do these kata in her sleep. But she didn't tell him that. She didn't say anything. She just did what he said until dawn broke and then she found herself standing in front of her room.

She opened the door. The corpse was gone and so was any sign of the fight but she could still smell it. What it was she wasn't sure but it was there. She got dressed. Had a maid do her hair. And went to breakfast.

They didn't speak of it.

Three months after that night, Zuko wanted to enter War room and it was Azula that had a bad feeling. But she didn't say anything.

She wished she had.


End file.
